1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of sports, more particularly to volleyball, and still more particularly to practice nets for practicing the serving and spiking of volleyballs.
2. Background Discussion
From its origin years ago by the YMCA as an indoor recreational sport, volleyball has become a serious, internationally-recognized, highly competitive sport. Although volleyball is still a popular recreational game played in gymnasiums, parks and beaches--only a net and ball are required, only a relatively small play area is needed, and it is a game most people can play--amateur tournaments are common, for example, between company, community, church, high school and college teams. Moreover, indoor, six-person volleyball is presently an Olympic sport and two-person, sand volleyball is scheduled to become an Olympic sport in the 1996 Olympics.
Volleyball is a relatively simple sport, and as is well known, is played by two teams--one on each side of a net similar to a tennis net. One player on one team serves the ball over the net to the other team, which tries to return the ball without letting it touch the ground. In returning the ball, the returning team typically bumps the ball from one player to another while keeping the ball in the air and inside the boundary of the "court" while setting up the ball for a return shot which it is hoped that the serving team will miss. The volleying continues until the ball hits the ground on one side or the other.
As is the case for many so-called "simple" sports, a great amount of skill is required for an individual to become a good, competitive volleyball player. Consequently, many volleyball players who take volleyball seriously spend a considerable amount of time and energy practicing the game and certain important, difficult to master, aspects of the game.
In this regard, one of the most important and probably the most difficult of the maneuvers or tactics in volleyball is popularly called the "spike." In the spike maneuver, the volleyball is bumped to a player on the same team who is close to the net. The receiving player then attempts to slam the ball downwardly so quickly on the other side of the net that no player on the other team can get to the ball to return it, a point being thereby given to the team that successfully spiked the ball if that team served the ball.
As easy as spiking sounds, it is, as mentioned above, a difficult maneuver to complete successfully. For example, if the player's timing or aim is off, he or she may spike the ball on his or her side of the net instead of on the other side of the net, thereby giving the other team a point or losing the serve. Or, a poor spike by one team may set up the other team for a successful spike
Another difficult maneuver, and one also requiring considerable practice to achieve a good technique is serving the volleyball. A good volleyball serve is, for example, one that is placed where the server intends and from which a successful return is difficult and hopefully impossible. Good serving technique requires a keen eye, power and precise control--attributes that are difficult to achieve without considerable practice. An example of a bad volleyball serve would, of course, be one that enables the receiving team to successfully spike the ball to the serving team.
In some respects practicing volleyball spikes and/or serves is like baseball batting practice without a fielder--a lot of energy and practice time is spent chasing and retrieving the ball. Moreover, free-flying balls would tend to disrupt other games being played in the same general area. For this reason, a special spiking practice apparatus has been developed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,646 to Michael Crist, for example, discloses a volleyball net having wall-mounted frames which support both the volleyball net and a "no rebound ball barrier" mounted rearwardly of the net, the barrier being constructed to catch and return volleyballs struck over the net.
The volleyball apparatus disclosed in the Crist patent thus appears limited to the practicing of volleyball spikes and possibly other volleyball maneuvers by school teams or players inside of high-school or college gymnasiums, and does not appear to be practical for spiking practice by the large number of teams or players who play and/or practice volleyball outdoors at the beach, in parks or in other recreational areas. In fact, in most outdoors volleyball playing areas, there would be no satisfactory place to set up the apparatus disclosed in the Crist patent and even if there were places, the cost of the disclosed apparatus would be prohibitive for most volleyball players. Moreover, the disclosed apparatus does not appear to be readily portable or easily set up and knocked down.
For these and other reasons, the present inventor has invented an inexpensive, easily portable apparatus for practicing volleyball spikes and serves which is constructed to be quickly and easily attached to any volleyball net, either indoors or outdoors, and which requires no installation tools and which can be easily taken down and easily carried by one person, and which can be easily carried in any automobile or even on a bicycle or in public transportation.